Tsuki to Houshi
by Hakugei
Summary: AU. I can't hear, that's why I can't speak. How can I trust you? You're my best friend, and friends respect each other.
1. Chapter 1

Well, I've never written shounen-ai before, but this time, I'm going to give it a try (it was a request by a friend). This fic is also written for the lj community 10passions; so naturally, it's going to be 10 chapters. Enjoy.

**DISCLAIMER: Not mine**

****

WARNING: AU, later OOC, shounen-ai

****

PAIRINGS: Oshitari/Mukahi

**Chapter 1- Meet**

It was a perfect day. The sun was shining, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky; a perfect day to chill out and have fun. To him, it was a day that was starting to bore him out. Instead of playing around carefree like the wind, he was stuck in classroom 2-1 listening to his boring college professor talk about the parts of an animal cell and their functions. There was nothing interesting about what is inside anyone's cells for heaven's sake! Why do people think that anyone will actually be interested in these kinds of-

"Mukahi, the answer."

The said boy snapped out of his train of thought. Great, now he was going to get busted because he drifted off. Well, it wasn't entirely his fault. The teacher needs to make the class more interesting.

Mukahi felt a piece of paper on his arm and he read it quickly. It said, "Page 75, second paragraph." He scanned the paragraph before saying the answer. "The nucleus."

The teacher seemed astounded, but never the less, left it alone. Mukahi had gotten the answer right, so that was all that mattered.

The redhead glanced at his rescuer sitting in back of him. Dark blue hair covered a sexy-looking face donned with a pair of glasses that only suited him. Oshitari Yuushi. That student was an enigma to him as well as everyone else. He showed up in the second semester as a transfer student from Osaka and immediately established himself as a tensai. He could solve those Trigonometry equations in a flash and already knew several things about Genetics before anyone else despite the fact that he only took half the classes that Mukahi was taking.

Mukahi could never figure out how he could become a tensai when he never spoke one word in class. In fact, he never saw him speak one word to anyone. When girls asked him out, he politely shook his head, and when teachers called him to answer a question, which rarely happened, he would point to a part on the diagram or come to the board to do the math out. After the second week, the redhead could only assume that maybe it was his test grades.

The bell rang signaling for the lunch break to begin. Happy to be done with Biology for the day, Mukahi headed for the cafeteria and found an empty table. He took out his bento and began munching on a cone sushi happily. His mother always made good lunches. Around him, people were getting out varieties of food for lunch.

He was halfway through his bento when he felt a tap on his shoulder. The redhead looked up to see Oshitari Yuushi standing next to his desk. The tensai had a blank look and was staring at him as if he was expecting something.

"Can I help you?" Mukahi asked. Oshitari said nothing and drew something in the air with his finger. "I said, 'Can I help you'?" The tensai only repeated his gestures, but more slowly. The redhead was starting to get annoyed and said, "Will you just tell me what you're doing next to my desk already?"

Calmly, the tensai pulled out a sheet of paper and a pencil and wrote, "Will you lend me 300 yen?"

Mukahi read the note. "Oh, well, why didn't you say so in the first place? You could have just told me, you know." Pulling out three 100-yen coins from his pocket, the redhead handed the coins to the other student. Oshitari nodded his head in gratitude before leaving Mukahi alone.

_"Must be a shy one,"_ Mukahi thought to himself as he watched the tensai head for the lunch line. _"Either that or a stupid one."_

-X-

The bell rang signaling the end of class. Mukahi, glad to be done with school for the day, packed up his belongings and started to leave. As he headed for the door, he noticed that Oshitari hadn't moved a muscle to leave. His nose was still stuck in his textbook.

_"Who stays at their desk reading their textbook when school's out?"_ Mukahi thought to himself. _"Didn't he hear the bell ring? Or was he too engrossed in the book?"_

Mukahi approached Oshitari's desk. "Oi!" Oshitari didn't move and kept on reading. "Oi!" He still didn't move. Fed up, Mukahi took out a book from his bag and banged it on the textbook. "Oi!" Oshitari immediately snapped up. "Class is done, Oshitari. Are you going to be here the whole day?"

The tensai immediately packed up his textbook and headed out nodding to Mukahi on the way out slightly pink from embarrassment. The redhead kept staring at Oshitari as he headed out. That guy was unbelievable! Even when doing something simple as asking for lunch money, he takes the hard way and writes the question down instead of saying it.

"Oi, Mukahi!" Mukahi snapped his gaze away from Oshitari and to the speaker. "Do you like college that much?"

"Urusai, Taki!" the redhead replied blushing a fake pink in embarrassment before racing out of the classroom.

The redhead left in a mad huff. Trust everyone to get on his nerves. He stomped out of the building and away from the school. His mother wouldn't be back home until late in the night, so he decided to go for a walk.

His feet took him to a dock. The dock itself was empty except for some equipment. Mukahi put his bag down… and gasped at how beautiful the buildings looked with the sunset. The scenery felt peaceful. It took away all the stress from college with only one look. He began to walk up and down the dock admiring the view.

He wasn't watching where he was going and accidentally tripped on one of the thick, coiled ropes on the dock. Not being able to catch his balance fast enough, the redhead fell into the water with a loud splash. Gagging for breath, Mukahi tried to kick towards the surface, but to no avail. He had never made a point in learning how to swim, despite the fact that Japan was an island country. He could only kick helplessly as water began to fill his lungs.

As his vision began to blur, he noticed someone swimming towards him. He could barely make out the features as he began to black out, but whoever it was, he could only hope that they would help.

**TBC…**

**How was it? Should I continue? Review kudasai!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2. Enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: Not mine**

**WARNING: AU, later OOC, shounen-ai**

**PAIRINGS: Oshitari/Mukahi**

**Chapter 2- Dream**

_"Daijoubu ka?"_

_He was seeing things for sure. He was seeing himself, only younger, kneeling next to another boy. He couldn't see the other boy's face, but he could tell that the boy was beaten badly. He could hear sobbing, but whether it was himself or the other boy, he couldn't tell._

_"H-hai, daijoubu yo," the other boy replied shakily, which was followed by a sniffle._

_"You're bleeding! Come over to my house. I'll bandage you."_

_"Daijoubu da yo!" the boy yelled getting up too quickly for an injured person. The boy immediately collapsed to the ground._

_The scenery suddenly shifted from a streetlight-lighted street to a playground in broad daylight. He saw his younger self again with the same boy, but he still couldn't see his face._

_"What's your name?" his younger self asked._

_The other boy hesitated before saying, "Houshi. Ore wa Houshi."_

_"That's your name?"_

_"Call me Houshi. What about you?"_

_"Boku wa Tsuki."_

_"Tsuki? That can't be your name!" the boy protested._

_"Houshi is not your name either," his younger self pointed out with a grin. There was a moment of silence before they both started laughing._

_The scene shifted again to a dorm of some sorts. In this scene, the atmosphere was heavier and more intense. He could still see his younger self, now perhaps in junior high, and the environment, but the person next to his younger self was a shadow. His younger self was struggling with the shadow._

_"Let go! Stop it!"_

_All the light in the room suddenly went out as he heard more shuffling and then a loud plop before there was more screaming and then, he heard tearing._

_The lights seem to return, but he wasn't in the room anymore. It was at a dock of some sort. There were no boats, no men, nothing, except for a lone figure rushing towards the edge._

_"Houshi!"_

_There was a loud splash followed by another splash. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then someone shot out of the water._

Oshitari awoke with a start on his futon. He had another nightmare. They seemed to have started becoming more frequent lately. He had to ask the doctor for some prescription medication on this. He touched his face and was surprised to see a tear on his face. This was strange. He never cried when he had nightmares even when he was young.

Checking his clock, he realized that he should head for school. He went to the bathroom and washed his face as best as he could and combed his hair a bit before putting on his glasses. He then changed into his uniform and brushed his teeth before leaving for school grabbing an apple on the way out. This was a daily routine for him. He would wake up, go through school, go to work, go home, study, and sleep. It was like a checklist that never changes.

Oshitari saw the school ahead and headed through the open iron gates. He went down the hall to class 2-1 where he sat in the third row. He was early, so he pulled out one of his textbooks and began reviewing what he had highlighted. Around him, students began to file in, but he didn't pay them any attention.

He didn't even pay attention to the bell ringing until he noticed that everyone was standing up.

-X-

Class continued to drawl on, but Oshitari was only giving half of his attention to the teacher's lecture. He had studied this last night making sure he could comprehend everything in the textbook and didn't need any details. He kept his head lowered slightly to make it look as though he was reading.

Glancing upward, he noticed that he wasn't the only one nodding off. Mukahi Gakuto. That student certainly was strange. He mouthed off at people and was bouncy. He didn't think much of him, except for the fact that he had a weird knack of annoying him unconsciously. He sometimes couldn't help it. He was only trying to be friendly.

"Mukahi, the answer!"

The redhead immediately shot up. Uh oh, Oshitari knew that their Biology professor was strict about paying attention and students caught not paying attention were forced to stand outside in the hallway. Thinking quickly, he wrote down the page number and the paragraph number and passed it to Mukahi. Mukahi read the paper and scanned the page before reciting the answer. The teacher seemed astounded, but left it alone. Oshitari grinned slightly before returning to his textbook.

He never liked that professor, anyway.

-X-

Class continued on without any further incidents, but when lunchtime came, Oshitari had a problem. He had forgotten to make a sack lunch, and he had left his wallet at home. He didn't like to be a burden to people, but he didn't want to go through the afternoon without lunch. He decided on asking Mukahi Gakuto.

The boy walked over to the redhead and tapped him on the shoulder. Mukahi looked up and said, "What do you want?" Oshitari tried to ask for 300 yen, but the message didn't seem to get across. "I said, 'What do you want'?" He tried again, this time more slowly. "Will you just tell me what you're doing next to my desk already?" the redhead said out of frustration.

Pulling out a piece of paper, he wrote, "Will you lend me 300 yen?"

"Oh, well, why didn't you say so in the first place? You could have just told me, you know," Mukahi said pulling out three 100-yen coins and handing them to Oshitari. He nodded his head in gratitude before heading for the cafeteria.

He made a mental note to bring an extra 300-yen tomorrow. He never enjoyed being a burden.

-X-

School continued on after lunch, but with little excitement. Everyone was relieved when school finally ended, Oshitari included, though he didn't know how he was going to spend the rest of the day. What embarrassed him was that not only had he forgotten his lunch and wallet, but also, he had to be reminded that class was done when he became too engrossed in memorizing instructions on First-Aid.

Not knowing what he was doing, Oshitari let his feet carry him wherever they wanted to go. He wasn't working today, so there was nothing to do. He went past the large buildings of Tokyo, through parks, and across streets, until before he knew it, he had reached the harbor. Oshitari gasped. The sunset was beautiful from here. This was something he only saw in books, and even then, they weren't like this. This is reality.

As he kept walking, he came to an empty dock. He could vaguely make out a lone figure walking around on that particular dock. The other person seemed to be lost in their thoughts, too. The figure walked around the dock for a while. Oshitari didn't care and kept watching the sunset.

Suddenly, he saw the figure trip on something and fall in the water. He tore his eyes towards the water when he saw the shadow go under water. Calculating quickly, he estimated that the figure should be back on the surface within a few seconds. He counted the seconds, but after ten, he started to get worried.

_"Houshi!"_

Without a word, Oshitari dropped his bag and jacket, kicked off his shoes, and sprinted to the edge of the dock before jumping in. The water was freezing and his glasses were still on, but he didn't care. He had to save the person! Swimming deeper, he could faintly make out a figure that looked human. Grabbing the shadow, he headed back for the surface.

Oshitari gasped for air while holding onto the person. He grabbed onto the edge of the dock and placed the smaller person as gently as he could near the edge before hoisting himself up. Panicking, he rolled the limp body over towards him. Getting a closer look, he realized that it was Mukahi Gakuto from his class. Fearing the worse, Oshitari shook the smaller boy by the shoulders to try to get him awake or at least cough up any water he might have breathed in, but Mukahi remained limp.

Oshitari normally would have left to get help, but he was alone, and if Mukahi had swallowed some water, he had to get it out quickly. He forced his racing heart and mind to calm down and went over everything he knew about CPR in his head.

He tilted Mukahi's head upward to get the airway open and bent his head down to check for the other's breathing. When he didn't get a result, he pinched the nose and leaned down to give air. Then realizing what he was doing, he checked to make sure no one was watching, before leaning down once again and let his lips touch.

He quickly gave Mukahi two breaths before reaching for his radial to check for a pulse. Finding none, Oshitari gave the smaller boy fifteen compressions counting them in his head. Still not finding any results, he once again pinched the nose and gave Mukahi another two breaths.

Blue eyes slowly opened as Mukahi slowly came to. Pulling away, Oshitari breathed a sigh of relief. That is, until a hand slapped him across the face followed by coughing.

**TBC…**

**We had learned about CPR recently in Health class, so I decided to incorporate what I learned. Review kudasai! Oh, by the way, "Tsuki to Houshi" means "Moon and Star".**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3. Enjoy.**

DISCLAIMER: Not mine

WARNING: AU, shounen-ai

PAIRING: Oshitari/Mukahi

**Chapter 3- Truth**

Mukahi was angry at whoever dared to try to take advantage of him. He had woken up from God knows what only to find his entire body all wet with his nose pinched and someone looming over him all wet. Reacting quickly, he slapped the pervert across the face and jumped to his feet.

"What the hell are you doing you pervert?" he yelled getting into a fighting stance. The pervert said nothing as he got up rubbing his sore cheek. A bespectacled boy with dark blue hair turned around. Mukahi recognized him immediately. "Eh? Oshitari? What are you doing here?"

The tensai said nothing, but pointed to the water.

"Eh?" Then he remembered everything that happened. He tripped and fell and ran out of air. Oshitari must have saved him from drowning. Mukahi sighed at the thought. He wasn't into the emotional thing, but he was grateful that he was saved from certain death. "Aa, arigatou." The tensai smiled and nodded his head.

Suddenly, Mukahi became aware of how cold the night was when he started shivering from a draft. The tensai became concerned and left. He came back with his things and placed his jacket around the redhead. He took it gratefully, though he noticed that Oshitari would probably need it, too. Oshitari suddenly started making a bunch of gestures that was like gibberish to him.

"Nani?" the soaked boy asked in confusion.

Pulling out a piece of paper and pen from his bag, Oshitari wrote, "Do you want to come over to my apartment and warm up?"

Mukahi read this and looked at the tensai as if he were nuts. Apartment? What apartment? Oshitari lived in the school dorms, right? They were probably less expensive than an apartment.

Upon seeing his confused face, Oshitari wrote, "It's close by." Then he made a gesture to follow him.

Mukahi read the sentence. "Eh? Daijoubu da yo, Oshitari!" he retorted back before he sneezed.

The tensai gave him a look that said, "Yeah right". Then without a word, Oshitari grabbed Mukahi by the arm and started dragging him down the street.

"What the-" the redhead sputtered. "Oi! Let me go! Oi! Oshitari!"

Oshitari seemed to pretend that he didn't hear the redhead's protests and dragged him down the street and up two flights of stairs to apartment number #302. Unlocking the door, he dragged Mukahi inside to the bathroom, and after digging through his closet, threw a pair of sweatpants, boxers, and shirt to Mukahi.

"What the-" The blue-haired tensai pointed to the bathtub and to the clothes with a look that looked like a mother ordering her child to do what she says or else. "Eh?" Oshitari sighed and went into the bathroom. He turned on the water and pointed to it.

Mukahi seemed to get the message, so he pushed the tensai out of the bathroom and locked the door. As he began to undress, he thought that maybe a hot shower wouldn't be so bad. He waited for the tub to fill before getting in. Satisfied with the water temperature, he began to scrub himself with the washcloth nearby.

-X-

After a nice bath and a change of clothes, Mukahi felt oddly refreshed. The water he fell in was so cold since it was near dark, but that was gone, for good he hoped. Oshitari was nice to let him use the bath in his apartment. There was only one thing that was bothering him, and that was the clothes. The shirt went at least to his waist and the sleeves to his elbows, and he had to roll up the sweatpants twice at the legs, but they were dry, so he couldn't complain.

Stepping out of the shower, he noticed that Oshitari had dried himself off and changed his clothes. He was sitting at his desk with the desk lamp turned on doing his homework. Mukahi's belongings, which were wet, were under a nearby heater.

"Oshitari?" Mukahi called. The tensai didn't say anything or move. "Oshitari?" He still didn't seem to hear him.

The redhead went over to the desk and tapped him on the shoulder, which got his attention. Oshitari looked over the smaller boy taking in his larger clothes, and pinched his own shirt with a questioning look.

"Eh?"

Oshitari did the same thing, but he also seemed to be mouthing something because when he tried to say something, it came out as a sound that sounded like someone with a strained voice.

"Big?" Mukahi guessed. "'Are these clothes too big'?" Oshitari nodded. "Of course they are! Are you blind?"

Oshitari must have taken the figure of speech literally because he shook his head. Then he did a bunch of gestures that looked like some kind of ritual to Mukahi. The smaller boy quirked an eyebrow, but before he could ask any more questions, Oshitari got out of his chair, grabbed both of their belongings, and pulled Mukahi out the door.

"What the- Hey!" Mukahi cried as he was pulled down the stairs. "Oshitari, I can walk!"

When the two reached the bottom of the stairs, Oshitari nodded his head in apology along with something that Mukahi couldn't understand at all.

The redhead looked disgusted. "Stop doing that, okay? I can't understand a thing you're doing! Can't you speak?"

The tensai shook his head calmly.

Mukahi's blue eyes widened, but deep down, he was mentally smacking himself. Of course! No wonder he was doing all those weird things with his hands! For someone who knew everything about everyone, he must have overlooked Oshitari. He must be slipping.

Kneeling down where there was a patch of dirt, Oshitari wrote with his finger, "I can't hear, so that's why I can't speak." After letting Mukahi read it, he wrote, "But if you speak slowly, I can read your lips."

_"Oh, so that's why he brought that pad and paper with him,"_ Mukahi thought. _"Wonder how he asks for lunch at the cafeteria…"_

He felt a tug on his sleeve from Oshitari, who was still kneeling. There was another note. "One of our college professors said so, you know."

Mukahi blushed slightly in embarrassment. He must have not paid attention in class. Oh well, most of the professors were dull and boring, like his high school teachers.

It was only after he stopped pondering that he noticed that Oshitari was staring at something other than his face. "Hey! Quit staring!"

The silent tensai smoothed out his second note with his foot and wrote, "Do you sing too much?"

"No."

"Scream too much then?"

This question hit Mukahi like a bullet. There was some truth in that, but how could Oshitari have known if he was deaf? The deaf can't hear voices, right?

Mukahi felt a tug on his sleeve and there was another note. "Where do you live? I'll walk you back."

Eh? What was Oshitari thinking saying something so cheesy? He wasn't a girl from a romance movie! Now he was starting to see another side of tensai Oshitari Yuushi; the romantic side. The thought made him want to throw up.

"I-I don't need a chaperone! Baka Oshitari!" Mukahi yelled shoving him down before running off.

**TBC…**

**How was it? Review kudasai!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4. Enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: Not mine**

**WARNING: AU, OOC, shounen-ai**

**PAIRINGS: Oshitari/Mukahi**

**Chapter 4- Call**

Oshitari got up and brushed the dirt off his clothes as Mukahi ran off. He stared at the disappearing shadow for a moment before brushing it off and going back up to his apartment. Well, at least the matter was settled; Mukahi was safe and sound, but…

_"How come I did that?"_ He instinctively read a hand to touch his lips. It was strange; it felt so familiar, but he and Mukahi didn't have any eye-to-eye until now. The silent tensai shook off the thought. He shouldn't dwell on such things. He was only performing CPR.

Unlocking the door, he stepped into his small apartment dropping his jacket on the way. Peeking in the bathroom, he realized that in the rush, he forgot to give Mukahi his wet clothes. Oh well, he'll have to give them back tomorrow. Picking up the smaller clothes, he threw them in the wash and turned the washing machine on. He wasn't going to return the redhead wet clothes.

Oshitari was returning to his desk to finish his homework when he noticed that his beeper was blinking. Since he couldn't hear the doorbell, he installed a blinking light to the doorbell, so that when someone was ringing the bell, he would know it. Still, he wasn't expecting anyone. Putting down his pencil, the silent tensai got up and pulled the door open.

Who was behind the door caught him off guard. There were two crime scene investigators looking at him expectantly. "Are you Oshitari Yuushi?" one of them asked. He nodded. "We're sorry to bother you at this time, but we need you to come with us."

At this, Oshitari started to get scared that he did something wrong, though logically, he didn't do anything. The other investigator noticed his anxiety and said, "It's all right. We're not accusing you of anything. We just need you to come to the station to identify someone for us."

Identify someone? Sure he had some experience in DNA-testing before, but the professional forensics could probably do better than he could. Still, it was a request from authorities, and he couldn't back down, so he followed the two crime scene investigators down the stairs to their parked car in front of his apartment building. Getting, Oshitari still couldn't figure out what the police wanted with him.

As the car neared the scene, one of the investigators explained, "There was an accident in Osaka later this afternoon." _Osaka?_ "A man was breaking the speed limit and ran into another car killing the woman and himself." _A woman? Wait, could it be…_

"We want you to tell us if this is your mother."

As the car pulled up to the scene of the accident, Oshitari started to see the two wrecked cars. One was smashed in the front and the other was completely overturned with the windshield smashed. The silent tensai had to fight the urge to show that he was getting nauseous as he got out of the car. The investigators led him to the two cars where two medics were kneeling over a bloody form. This time, though, Oshitari couldn't suppress his nausea from showing on his face.

Lying dead on the stretcher was his mother, or what was left of his mother. Her body was bloody, especially her head and arms. Her skin was ghostly white and her hair was also matted with blood. The sight was horrifying, especially since Oshitari hadn't seen his mother for the last year. Oshitari couldn't bear to look, but he couldn't help but look.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned his head to look at the investigator. "Is this woman your mother?"

Oshitari could only nod his head quickly before racing off to throw up in some nearby bushes.

-X-

The next several hours were but a blur to Oshitari. After asking Oshitari about his mother, the investigators went through a bunch of papers including his relatives, where he lived, etc. It turns out that his father moved away two years ago leaving his mother alone, and all of his relatives lived in America.

As the hours continued to fly by in the small office, Oshitari started to think about the last time that he saw his mother. He had sworn to not come back, as she wanted it to be, but here he was, back in Osaka, and his mother was dead.

Oshitari's parents had divorced when he was 16 after his mother found out that his father was having an affair. It was a difficult period in Oshitari's life as the two of them were fighting over custody. He would often come home and the two of them would be arguing over everything.

Finally, it got to a point where they were fighting over him. His father had wanted Oshitari to pursue a career as a doctor, so he could take over the family clinic, but his mother was doing everything in her power to keep him. He was already taking an interest in becoming a novelist, but neither of his parents would hear of it. They thought that a tensai shouldn't be wasting his talent on writing.

It was no use. His father got custody. From there, everything went downhill. He was forced out of all the English classes he was taking and into classes more towards a medical degree. He complied, but never put his energy into it. He passed the classes with ease that were dull to him, and began studying to get into Tokyo University, a university that his father was keen on getting him in.

One night, everything changed. Somehow, his mother easily slipped into the house and woke up. His mother had told him to hurry and pack as much as he could in one bag because he didn't have much time to get out of the house. He had obliged, being the obedient son, but he didn't know what was going on, until she pulled out an envelope from her purse.

She had told him that she had thought everything out, and although she couldn't get him back, she could get him away. She had saved up her money to get him an apartment and talked with a friend to get him a part-time job, so that he can save up money to go to a college that he wanted to go to. There were some things already set up for Oshitari at the apartment, and she had paid for several months' payment.

He couldn't believe that his mother would do this for him even after losing him. He thought for sure that she would have given up on ever getting him away. That was how she lived by and how she made him live by.

"Why?" he signed.

_"You're still my son, whether the law says so or not," she replied firmly. "I never loved your father, anyway. Our marriage was arranged, so that your father's family clinic wouldn't go bankrupt. I didn't want you to become a doctor when you can become that novelist that you always dreamed of becoming."_

Mom…

_"Go, and don't come back here again."_

Those were the last words she said to him before he was roughly pushed out of the house with his few belongings in a bag. Swearing that he wouldn't let his mother down, he hailed a taxi to get him to Tokyo since the train station was closed.

It was hard adjusting to Tokyo, especially because of his defections. He studied at a cram school for the first semester of college before taking the exam and getting into a college that he wanted. He decided on becoming a doctor anyway, but this time, he was keener about it. After his father had kicked him out of his literature classes, he lost the will to ever become a novelist. No matter how much he tried to write, he couldn't come up with one story.

Oshitari wondered if he'd ever come to love both of his parents again.

-X-

Oshitari had missed a week's worth of classes, but luckily, his college professors understood considering the circumstances. Two days after the accident, the funeral was held. It only contained his family and a few friends. Thankfully, his father wasn't there. He wanted to make sure that the assumption that he was dead stay there, until the right time. Besides, his father probably wanted nothing more to do with him and his mother.

After the funeral, Oshitari stayed home as a lawyer divided all of his mother's possessions among relatives. He received little, but he didn't care. His parents never were like parents to him. Especially not after he went deaf several years ago.

_"Yuushi, don't cry. Everything's all right."_

This time, though, it wasn't all right, because he could never hear her voice again.

-X-

Oshitari silently ran a finger over the newly etched kanji in the gravestone. After the funeral, his mother's body was cremated and put to rest with his ancestors. It was night, and the moon was out. He wanted to cry, but he couldn't, because he had sworn a vow long ago to not cry. Tearing his eyes away from the gravestone, he forced himself to look at the sky, and the sight caught his eye.

In the sky was a crescent moon, and to the left of it, was a single star. Although there were other stars in the sky, it was as though that single star was the moon's own special companion. Oshitari remembered when he had seen quite a sight in elementary school. His mother had given him an analogy to that.

_"Mama, why is that star so close to the moon?"_

_"That's because that star is the moon special companion."_

_"But why that star out of all the pretty stars in the sky?"_

_"Because the moon wants to be with that star forever. The moon must have seen the star for how special it is and moved next to it, so that it can be with it forever."_

_"That sounds like married couples, Mama."_

_"That's right, and when you're old enough, you'll find someone to love, too."_

The silent tensai sometimes wondered if he had found the star in his life, because his mother never found it.

-X-

The silent tensai stared at his Tokyo apartment building from the corner. A week had gone, he had tons of homework to catch up on, and the week he skipped was going to cost him a week's worth of income off from his job. He had intended on going back the day after the funeral, but he had caught a fever and was forced to stay home. Not to mention that he still hadn't given back Mukahi's clothes. Oh well, he'll give them back tomorrow.

**TBC…**

**How was it? Review kudasai!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5. Wow, I'm doing okay for a beginner in romance. Enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: Not mine**

**WARNING: AU, later OOC, shounen-ai**

**PAIRINGS: Oshitari/Mukahi**

**Chapter 5- Return**

Mukahi was surprised when Oshitari had finally come back to classes. For the past week, he hadn't been attending classes, ever since that night he rescued him. The silent tensai was a mess. He looked as though he hadn't slept a wink. There were bags forming under his eyes and his hair wasn't brushed. Something was bothering Oshitari, but whatever it was, no one knew.

Mukahi had tried to recall if anything at Oshitari's apartment might have had to do with his absence, but he always came up with the same thing. After running away from Oshitari's apartment, Mukahi had gotten lost because he didn't know the way back to school from the apartment building. Cursing himself for not taking up Oshitari's offer, he had to ask several people in order to get back to the dorms. That was the end of that day.

The first few days that Oshitari had missed, rumors were flying around trying to explain the reason. Some claimed that he was playing hooky, while others suggested that he was transferring. The most notable one, however, came from one of the professors' children. It claimed that Oshitari's mother had died, and he was missing school because of that, although, to Mukahi, the possibility of that was highly impossible. Oshitari's mom was probably too young to die, right?

The redhead felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Oshitari holding out a bag to him. He seemed to be fine, despite his puffy eyes. "Oshitari?" The silent tensai pointed to the redhead and then indicated his own clothes. "Eh?"

This time, Oshitari mouthed out the words, "Your clothes."

"Oh." Taking the bag, he said, "Thanks." As, Oshitari turned to leave, Mukahi suddenly remembered about the clothes he had borrowed from Oshitari and quickly grabbed him by the arm and said, "Wait, what about your clothes?"

The silent tensai shook his head indicating that the redhead didn't have to return his clothes before continuing on his way. Suddenly, Mukahi had the urge to ask Oshitari why he left for a week. The day after the incident, he somehow found his way back to Oshitari's apartment to try getting his clothes, but when he checked the door, no one was there. He asked the neighbors, but they didn't know where he was either. Somehow, it kept on nagging him, but whether it was about his clothes, or something else, he didn't know.

Making up his mind, Mukahi caught up with Oshitari and touched him on the shoulder to get his attention. Once he was sure the silent tensai was looking at him, he asked what was bugging him the whole week. "Where were you last week?"

Oshitari gave him a look of mild surprise and then made a sign while mouthing, "Why?"

_Why do you think I'm asking, stupid?_ "You're a mess, that's why," Mukahi replied bluntly indicating Oshitari's current state.

"Oi Oshitari-kun!"

Mukahi turned to see a bouncy student run up to the silent tensai. Everyone knew him as Akutagawa Jirou, medical major, and normally, a sleepyhead. Like Oshitari, Mukahi couldn't get how he passed everything, despite the fact that Jirou slept in class all the time. Still, it didn't mean that Jirou wasn't lovable. When he was awake, Jirou was incredibly bouncy and carefree.

Suddenly, to Mukahi's surprise, Jirou began talking while using sign language. "Where have you been?" he asked casually. Oshitari answered back in sign language, apparently unfazed by the fact that a normal person was using sign language out of the blue. He must have known that Jirou spoke sign language beforehand. "You went home? Really? Why?"

Mukahi, now confused, interrupted, "Wait, hold on a minute!" Turning to the normally sleepy boy, he asked, "How in the world do you know sign language?"

"What?" Jirou asked innocently. "My mom sometimes volunteers in helping the deaf." Then after getting Oshitari's attention, he asked, "Why were you in Osaka again?" Oshitari stuck up a pinky finger. "Your mom? What about your mom?"

The silent tensai glanced at Mukahi for a moment. It was then Mukahi noticed the sorrow in his eyes, something that he never saw in Oshitari before. Then turning back to Jirou, he slowly made a bunch of signs. Whatever he said made the talkative student speechless.

Shaking Jirou's shoulder, Mukahi asked, "What did he say?"

Uncertain, the short student turned to Oshitari. "Do you mind if I tell him?"

Mukahi felt Oshitari's eyes examine him closely. The redhead waited as the taller student decided whether he should allow Jirou to translate his sign language. He desperately wanted to know, but he could probably get the information out of someone else. Things like this travel fast around this college, anyway. He would probably know within a week.

Finally, for what seemed like an eternity, Oshitari nodded his head slowly. Turning to Mukahi, Jirou said in a grave voice, "His mother died in an accident last week."

The redhead couldn't stop the gasp escaping from his mouth, nor could he resist the shock that was written all over his face. So the rumor about Oshitari's mother was true. He wanted to pity the silent tensai. However, before he could get his thoughts together, he heard Jirou continue.

"'I attended her funeral and paid my respects the next day, but the day after that, I caught a fever and had to stay home. The police informed my professors already, so I'm going to catch up on the work I missed later on after my shift.'"

Yeah, as if he needed any help on the skeletal system… 

"'Don't worry, I'm fine,'" Jirou translated.

"You could have at least went back to your apartment, so that I could give you back your clothes!" the redhead retorted.

"Clothes?" Jirou asked innocently. "What clothes?"

"Jirou!"

The said student turned to see a handsome student standing there with an aura surrounding him that showed that he thought he was above everyone. Jirou's eyes lit up.

"Hi Keigo!" he called waving madly. "I gotta go, Oshitari-kun, Mukahi-kun! Ja ne!" With that, he ran off to meet the other student. Around the student, Jirou seemed even more jumpy and childish than usual.

The redhead felt a tap on his shoulder. Looking up, Oshitari rubbed his knuckles with his thumb sticking up against lower jaw while mouthing the word, "Who?"

"'Who was that?'" Mukahi asked to confirm. Seeing the silent tensai nod his head, he answered, "That was Atobe Keigo, business major, and one arrogant pig. He started dating Jirou about two months ago. I personally don't take much interest in the 'Ice Emperor', but Jirou must think that he's a god."

Oshitari grinned goofily as if he wanted to laugh. The thought about Atobe acting arrogant must have sounded amusing. He made a motion with both of his hands that seemed to form a moustache while doing a poker face.

"'Distinguished'?" Mukahi guessed. "Yeah, he is, maybe a little too much."

Pulling out a notepad and pen, Oshitari wrote, "He seems softer when he's around Jirou."

"Softer? No way! 'Ore-sama' will always be arrogant no matter who's around."

"Well, his arrogant aura died down a little when Jirou came over," Oshitari wrote. "Doesn't that show that he at least has a soft spot for Jirou?"

"Che, as if!"

As the two of them continued to discuss things between Atobe and Jirou, Mukahi felt himself becoming more relaxed around Oshitari. Normally, he'd be all sarcastic and sometimes annoyed. He had noticed that during Oshitari's first week, he was somewhat tense, too. It seemed that maybe they could become friends, something that Mukahi hadn't had since…

The warning bell rang signaling for the first period. "Let's go!" Mukahi said quickly before grabbing his bag and running off with Oshitari close behind him.

-X-

Lunchtime came by quicker than normal. Still, that didn't mean that Mukahi wasn't glad. He was getting better at making his own lunch, but he still needed some help on making cone sushi. His mother had taught him before he left for college.

Suddenly, three 100-yen coins were dropped in front of him so quickly that he almost choked on his sushi. Looking up at the person, he saw Oshitari with a tray of food. Putting down the tray, he made a single sign.

"Eh? Try mouthing it."

The silent tensai took the advice and mouthed it slowly so that Mukahi could read his lips.

"'Thank you'?" he guessed. "For what?" Then he remembered last week, when he had lent Oshitari 300 yen for lunch. "Oh, you mean that, no problem." Then, an idea popped in his head. "Oi, Oshitari, how do you say 'You're welcome' in sign language?" Sitting down across from the redhead, he nodded his head while waving his hand in front of his face. "'You're welcome'?" he asked repeating the gesture, which received a nod from the silent tensai.

Deciding to change the subject, Mukahi looked over at the beef stew and rice on Oshitari's plate and remarked, "School lunch, huh?" When he received a nod, he added, "Bleh! I hate this school's lunch! What do they put in it, sawdust?"

Oshitari pulled out his notepad and pen and wrote, "I don't like the lunches here, either."

"Then how come you buy it?" Mukahi retorted. "You've got an apartment. You should be able to make your own food."

Sheepishly, Oshitari wrote, "I never learned to cook, nor did I ever bother trying."

"What do you eat, then?" the redhead asked stunned.

"I normally eat take-out or any left-over food," he wrote.

Suddenly, without thinking, Mukahi took a sushi roll out of his bento and handed it to Oshitari. Upon meeting a confused face, Mukahi remarked, "Take-out and left-over food is not healthy, you know, Oshitari. You need real food. Eat it." When it looked as though he was going to protest, Mukahi popped the roll into Oshitari's open mouth.

"Eat it," he ordered.

The silent tensai was caught off guard and almost choked on the roll, but he slowly chewed the food in his mouth. A look of surprise came over his face as he swallowed. He put his palm to his cheek.

"Eh?"

This time, instead of writing down his words, the silent tensai tried to speak what he wanted to say, but it came out as a croak. Mukahi read his lips as best as he could.

"Delicious? You think it's delicious?" Mukahi asked. When Oshitari nodded, the redhead said, "Anou, thank you." Remembering how to say 'thank you' in sign language, Mukahi made the sign.

The two continued to eat in silence. As Oshitari finished the horrible beef stew on his tray, Mukahi began to think over everything that happened before class started. He had never known that Jirou knew sign language, but then again, he mostly saw him sleeping. When they were discussing about Atobe and Jirou, they did it casually, as though they were friends instead of classmates and acquaintances. Maybe…

Mukahi got Oshitari's attention and asked, "Do you like what I make?" When he received a nod, he said, "All right then, let's strike a deal. I'll make you lunch…" At that, the silent tensai shook his head, but the last half of the proposal stopped him. "In exchange, you teach me sign language."

It seemed to have caught the silent tensai off guard because Mukahi received a shocked look from Oshitari. Silence followed as Oshitari thought over the proposal. Surprisingly, Mukahi found himself waiting patiently for Oshitari's answer. He busied himself by finishing up the remains of his bento that he made.

Finally, after a pregnant silence, Oshitari tapped the redhead on the arm and wrote, "I don't want to trouble you."

"You won't, Oshitari!" Mukahi retorted. "I told you I'll make you lunch, if you teach me sign language."

"Why?" he wrote

"'Why'? Because, well…"

Mukahi was never good with this mushy stuff. He hated cheesy lines that guys mostly said to girls when they were interested in them and avoided those for the most part. Still, he wanted to express what he wanted to do, somehow.

"Because… I want to be your friend," the redhead said slowly. Before he could give a chance for Oshitari to recover, he continued, "I never had friends before. Everyone always picked on me because I'm short. If I were close to anyone, it would only be mere acquaintances. I don't have any real friends over here either. I'm not being desperate or anything, Oshitari. I just thought that maybe I could have a friend."

The silent tensai seemed touched by his small story because after a pause, he nodded his head in agreement to the proposal.

-X-

Mukahi got a head start on his homework as he waited for Oshitari to come over. The redhead was going to start his sign language lessons today. After agreeing to Mukahi's proposal, they both arranged for them to meet at Mukahi's dorm after Oshitari's shift. The lesson would go on for a half hour, and then Oshitari would go back to his apartment to do his homework.

Someone knocked at the door. _Oshitari_. Mukahi went to the door and opened it to see the silent tensai in street clothes and carrying his bag on one shoulder. It was strange seeing him in street clothes when he acted like a gentleman.

"Good, you're here," the redhead said. "Come on in."

As Oshitari walked into the dorm, Mukahi began to clean things up a bit. He never bothered taking care of his dorm, since he rarely was there. The redhead threw away the leftover garbage from last night and stuffed some bowls into the cupboard. He felt a tap on his shoulder as he was clearing off the table. Turning around, he saw Oshitari holding a plastic bag.

_Wait, that was…_

"Give me that!" Mukahi yelled as he snatched away the bag and threw it into a drawer his face turning a slight pink. There was no way Oshitari should see that!

Mukahi was glad when Oshitari didn't push the matter further. The two took a seat on either side of the table and dumped their bags on the floor.

"So, where should we start?" Mukahi asked.

After thinking it over for a moment, Oshitari wrote on a piece of paper, "Introducing one another."

"Okay, so, how do I ask for someone's name?" The silent tensai did the sequence of signs in a fast pace. "Whoa, slow down, Oshitari! Okay, so, like this?" He did the sequence slowly. Oshitari nodded his head. "All right, so how do I respond to that?"

Oshitari wrote, "Same thing except no 'what' and 'your'. Spell your name out, too."

"How do I do that?" Mukahi asked. The silent tensai dug around in his bag until he found what he was looking for and handed it to Mukahi.

It was a book, a book on sign language. Flipping to the first page, Mukahi saw a chart for finger spelling. So that's what Oshitari meant. Looking up the characters in his name, he found that it was easy seeing as it went with the hiragana chart.

"So, Mu-ka-hi, Ga-ku-to?" the redhead tried as he signed the characters. The silent tensai shook his head and did the characters properly. "All right, Mu-ka-hi Ga-ku-to?"

Oshitari shook his head again. This time, he grabbed the redhead's smaller hand and maneuvered the fingers, so that it formed the character 'Mu' sending a tingle up Mukahi's spine. To him, it felt so weird, so wrong, and yet, so good. It felt almost… addicting.

Shaking off the feeling, Mukahi tried again. "Mu-ka-hi Ga-ku-to?" Oshitari nodded. Then he performed the entire sequence with graceful movements.

"So, 'my name is Mu-ka-hi Ga-ku-to'?"

A small smile graced Oshitari's face as he nodded his head.

Suddenly, the redhead heard his cell phone ring. Flipping it open, he stared in horror at the number of the caller. Scared about what was going to happen, he pressed the 'send' button and said, "Hello?"

"Hello, Gakuto."

The redhead shivered. It was him.

"I'll be back soon," was all the other person said before he hung up.

Shutting his phone, Mukahi became frantic. It was too dangerous for Oshitari to be around here now. Thinking quickly, he remembered the emergency stairs across the hall. Grabbing Oshitari's bag, he said, "Come on, you have to get out of here." Confused, Oshitari looked at the smaller redhead and quirked an eyebrow. "Come on!"

Grabbing the silent tensai by the wrist, Mukahi bolted out the door and across the hall until he reached the emergency stairs. Kicking the door open, Mukahi handed Oshitari back his bag and said, "Get away from here as fast as you can and don't come back tonight, got that?"

Oshitari still was confused, but Mukahi gave him a huge shove and shut the door. The redhead ran back to his dorm and tried to straighten things out as best as he could. He was shoving the sign language book under some clothes when the door opened. He froze.

"Hello, Gakuto."

**TBC…**

**Phew! This was long. Anyway, review kudasai!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6. I'm almost done writing this fic and I'm currently planning out a sequel. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**DISCLIAMER: Not mine**

**WARNING: AU, possible OOC, shounen-ai**

**PAIRINGS: Oshitari/Mukahi**

**Chapter 6- Amnesia**

Despite him being a tensai, Oshitari had no idea what was going on when Mukahi suddenly pulled him out of his dorm and told him to not come back. He had wanted to protest, but the redhead didn't give him time to think when he roughly pushed him to the emergency stairs in the dorm and closed the emergency exit.

Finally, after a week, he started showing up in classes again. His first instinct was to go look for Mukahi to return his clothes, which he had forgotten to give last week. He found the redhead heading for class. Just after he had given back the clothes, Jirou showed up.

Oshitari had known Akutagawa Jirou since junior high school. They were both mere acquaintances and classmates, but it eventually developed into friendship when he lost his hearing. Jirou had turned out to be fluent in sign language, and after hearing that Oshitari was deaf, began teaching him sign language. He would often stay at Jirou's dorm for hours making sure that he got the signs for words down correctly. Jirou never minded, in fact, it made him happy that he would be able to talk to a deaf person.

Still, even after knowing Jirou all these years, he had never known that he had a boyfriend. Atobe Keigo looked handsome, but he didn't seem to be Jirou's type. Still, the sleepy student was happy with him, wasn't he? It was only right that he would at least put up with Atobe, if he ever saw him in the near future.

During lunch, he was able to pay back Mukahi for the 300 yen he borrowed last week. Noticing that he wasn't sitting next to anyone, he decided to sit next to the redhead. It was then where the topic of the school's lunches came up. The silent tensai personally never enjoyed the school lunches, but he had never bothered learning how to cook. Suddenly, to his surprise, Mukahi stuck a roll in his mouth. It tasted wonderful, or at least better than the beef stew that he bought.

Suddenly, Mukahi had come up with a proposal saying that he'll make him lunch every day in exchange for teaching him sign language. He was still confused about the proposal, until Mukahi told him that he wanted to be friends with him. It had touched him so much that he agreed. After talking it over, they both decided to start the lessons today. They would meet at Mukahi's dorm after his shift was over. The lessons would go on for a half hour and then he would leave.

The first lesson they had was basically about introducing yourself. Mukahi had trouble with the finger spelling, but in the end, he managed to ask for someone's name and introducing himself in sign language. He was going to go over introductions when Mukahi got a call from an unknown person. Whoever it was scared the redhead, because the next thing Oshitari knew, he was rushed out of the dorm and to the emergency stairs.

"Get away from here as fast as you can and don't come back tonight, got that?" he had ordered before he gave him a giant push and slammed the emergency exit shut.

Oshitari had stared blankly at the whitewashed door for a full two minutes before pulling himself together. Logically, it could possibly be Mukahi's roommate, but why would he be afraid of his roommate? Unless…

_"No! Let go! Stop!"_

Fearing the worst, the silent tensai threw the emergency exit open and ran towards Mukahi's dorm. He sprinted down the hall and skidded to a halt at Mukahi's door. When he tried the door, to his surprise, he found that it was locked. Oshitari started to panic at having this gut feeling that his new friend was in trouble.

_Calm down, Yuushi. You have to figure out a way to get the door open._

If he still could hear, he could have pressed his ear to the door and listened, but he had to fully rely on sight and instinct, now. Thinking quickly, he rummaged through his bag until he found a paper clip. The silent tensai unwounded the clip and start picking at the lock as fast as he could. He kept picking at the lock until he was sure that there was a 'click'. Trying the door, the knot in his stomach loosened slightly when the door opened.

What he saw made his heart stop.

An unknown person had Mukahi pinned to the floor and was ripping his shirt off. Poor Mukahi was screaming and struggling to free himself, but to no avail. The next thing his knew, Oshitari was charging at the person with everything he had and rammed them into the wall. With the rapist pinned, the silent tensai got a good look at his face.

What he saw shocked him.

"Hello, Yuushi."

Oshitari saw red, and with a few punches, sent the person to the ground. What was that pervert doing to Mukahi? He had thought that he had gotten rid of him after high school! With one last punch, the rapist was knocked unconscious.

Kneeling down next to Mukahi he signed, "Are you okay?"

When Mukahi said nothing, Oshitari started to wonder if the redhead was unconscious, but when he saw the smaller chest rise and fall, he confirmed that Mukahi was indeed awake. It was only then when he noticed the redhead's face. Tears were streaming down his face and his shoulders were shaking. The Mukahi Gakuto that he knew thought of crying as a curse, but now, here was the normally snarky crying like a child.

"Stupid!" Mukahi cried. "Why did you come back?"

"I was worried," Oshitari signed, which made the redhead quirk an eyebrow despite the tears.

"Eh?"

"Worried," he mouthed.

Mukahi was surprised at that. "You were worried about me? Why?"

Grabbing a nearby magazine and pen off a table, he wrote, "You looked frantic when you made me leave, and I saw that bottle in the bag before you took it away. I thought that maybe someone was raping you. Were they?"

The smaller redhead fell silent as he read what he wrote. Tears began to stream again as the redhead broke down. Oshitari put a comforting hand around Mukahi's shoulders and waited. The sobs slowly died down to occasional hiccups as Mukahi began to calm down. Finally, he looked up with blood-shot eyes.

"C-can I talk to you at your apartment?" he asked slowly.

Oshitari readily nodded and helped Mukahi get up and grab a new shirt. When they were both ready, they left the dorm silently. As they left, Oshitari took one last time to glare at the unconscious student.

_I hate you, for doing this to him… and to me._

-X-

Oshitari unlocked the door and pulled it open allowing Mukahi to go in first. He silently closed the door and dropped his bag onto the small couch.

He tapped Mukahi on the shoulder and mouthed, "Do you want some water?"

"Yes," the redhead replied softly his eyes still red from crying.

The silent tensai left Mukahi on the couch and went to fill a cup with water. He glanced a few times to make sure the redhead was all right before heading back with the cup. He handed it to Mukahi, who took it gratefully. Oshitari waited as the redhead slowly downed the water.

"Oh, Oshitari," Mukahi said. He nodded. Slowly, Mukahi signed, "Thank you."

"Aa, you're welcome," he signed back.

"You didn't have to do that, you know."

"I know," the silent tensai mouthed and signed. Then pulling out his notepad and pen, he wrote, "What do you want to talk about?"

The redhead fell silent for a moment as if what he was going to say was going to make him cry again, but he took a deep breath and started talking.

"I suppose you want to know who that student was?" he asked. When Oshitari nodded he continued, "His name is Kurotori, biology major, and an alcoholic. He's my roommate, as you can tell, and the one who called me, but I hate him so much. Every night, he'd get drunk, and when's he drunk, he wants to have sex. Everyone around the dorms knows this, so they stay away, and I have to put up with it every night."

"You mean he rapes you?" Oshitari wrote.

"Yeah, sometimes he tries to force alcohol down my throat, but I always spit it out or throw it up. My stomach never agreed with alcohol no matter how many times I was force to drink it. Sometimes, if he's really drunk, he'll beat me, which explains why I have this." The redhead pulled up his shirt to reveal a long scar going from his shoulder to his ribs. "I got this when he pulled out a switchblade and slashed me when I was pinned to the floor."

Oshitari wrote, "How come you never ask to change roommates?"

"No one wants to room with him because of his alcohol problem. I would move out if I could, but my mom lives too far away from here, and I have no relatives that live nearby. I tried asking for a single, but all of those were taken already."

"Every night when he rapes me, he tells me that he loves me more than anything else in the world. He even breaks down every time, but I always thought that he was faking it. Then one time, I told him to get away from me and never come back. He slashed his wrists and was in the hospital for days. Even after that, he still rapes me, though I already told him more than once to back off."

It was when Mukahi brushed away his bangs did Oshitari notice something close to the temple. It was a scar, most likely from stitches that doctors use to close up deep wounds. Curiosity got the better of him, and Oshitari reached over and touched the scar. Mukahi instantly reacted and swatted away his hand.

"Don't touch that!" he yelled.

Instantly, the silent tensai retracted his hand and wrote, "Where did you get that scar?"

The redhead touched the scar near his temple. "Oh, this scar? It wasn't from Kurotori. I got into an accident when I was in junior high school. I fell into a river and hit my head. I had amnesia for a while, but then, I regained all my memories. Still, I think I still have it."

"Why?" Oshitari signed.

"Because I still can't remember my junior high school years. Every time I try, I come up with a blank. I asked my mom for pictures, but she said that I never took any, and that I threw away all my yearbooks because it was taking up space. It's frustrating when that happens, when I want to know, but that doesn't happen often."

_Junior High? That was when…_

Instinctively, Oshitari reached up to touch his ears.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and saw Mukahi wave his index finger. The silent tensai shook his head. The redhead gave him a look that said, "Yeah right", and said, "Was junior high the time you went deaf?"

Oshitari's eyes widened. How could he tell?

As if he read his mind, Mukahi said, "Jirou told me that covering your ears was the sign for 'deaf'. Also, isn't this the sign for 'normal person'?" The redhead put one index finger to his lips and the other to his ear and moved them both outward before bringing them inwards.

If he still had a voice, Oshitari was sure that he would laugh. Instead he grinned and shook his head. He did the same thing, except alternating the inward-outward motion between the two fingers.

"Oh, you mean like this?" Mukahi asked while doing the sign. Oshitari nodded his head. "Okay, how about 'stupid'?"

The silent tensai quirked an eyebrow. Why would Mukahi want to know how to say 'stupid' in sign language? Then he remembered the redhead's snarky attitude, and showed him the sign.

-X-

Oshitari was unaware of the time until he realized how tired he was. Checking the clock, he realized that it was almost ten. They both had classes tomorrow, and if they didn't get their, both of them might find themselves standing in the hallway for falling asleep in class.

He tapped Mukahi on the shoulder and wrote, "By the way, do you want to move in with me?" When the redhead shot him a confused look, he wrote, "You shouldn't have someone like Kurotori for a roommate. If I had him for a roommate, even if I had to skip a few of my classes to get more time on a job, I'd move out."

"But, he won't let go of me!" Mukahi argued. "And how do I know I can trust you?"

Oshitari knew what kind of person Mukahi was when it came to love. He was scared of trusting others because of what Kurotori did. _Just like me…_

"I don't like sex, even though I like romance novels. Although, in my opinion, love doesn't mean sex."

"What do you mean? Everyone knows that if you love someone, you have sex with them!"

"The kind of couple you mention are when a **married** couple agree to give themselves up to each other. The couple that Kurotori seems to want to be with you is only by infatuation. Those kinds of couples always break up in the end. Kurotori only wants your body. That's why I'm asking if you want to move in with me."

"I still don't get why."

Putting the pen and pad down, Oshitari pointed at Mukahi, then at him, and finally, clasped his hands together and shifted them together slightly from right to left.

"You're my best friend," he mouthed slowly. "And friends respect each other."

As he was when Mukahi told his story, the same could be said for when he said that statement. Eyes met as Mukahi looked to see if there was honesty. Oshitari could understand if the redhead refused, but he was offering this because… he truly wanted to protect Mukahi. No one should suffer what he went through.

Finally, after a long pause, Mukahi asked, "When can I move in?"

Oshitari mouthed, "Whenever you're ready."

"Thanks, Oshitari," Mukahi said honestly. "And by the way, you can call me Gakuto."

"Gakuto?" Oshitari signed.

"Yeah, Ga-ku-to."

Oshitari nodded, and then signed, "Yuushi."

"Eh?"

"Yuushi."

"Are you telling me to call you Yuushi? No problem."

For the first time in a long time, the silent tensai smiled. As Mukahi left his apartment, he gazed at the few stars in the sky from his apartment window.

_Mom, I don't know if I found my star in the sky, but I've definitely made a friend._

**TBC…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7. Enjoy.**

DISCLAIMER: Not mine

WARNING: AU, possible OOC, shounen-ai

PAIRINGS: Oshitari/Mukahi

**Chapter 7- Places**

It took two weeks to move all of Mukahi's stuff into Oshitari's apartment, but after that, he started to get settled in. He still couldn't believe that he was finally going to get away from Kurotori once and for all. To him, Kurotori was like the bogeyman that visited him every night. It made him so happy to find that Oshitari asked to live with him; he thought that it was worth meeting the silent tensai.

That day, he had been prepared for his daily torture from Kurotori, but somehow, Oshitari had sensed him in danger and knocked the rapist out. Whether it was the smell of alcohol in his dorm, or the phone call, or both, he didn't know. What made him so ashamed was the fact that he had cried, something that he despised, but the silent tensai was understanding and let him weep on his shoulder. When he had asked to talk to him at his apartment, he led him away quietly.

After drinking some water, Mukahi blurted out his entire story with Kurotori. Everything, from the alcohol issue, to when he screamed to stay away from him, he told Oshitari everything. He had written down some statements in between, but those were mostly questions. Somehow, when he told Oshitari all that, he felt a large weight being lifted off his shoulders.

Then Oshitari had brought up the subject about his scar. It was more of an accident than intentionally, but it still got Mukahi annoyed. Still, didn't Oshitari deserve to know? So, he told him about the accident, and how his mind always draws up a blank when he tries to remember junior high, but he assured him that he didn't mind.

At the mention of junior high, though, it made Oshitari uncomfortable. The silent tensai had put his hands to his ears, the sign for the word 'deaf'. He had asked Jirou earlier about some signs, and 'deaf' was one of them. The other one was 'normal person'. It had turned out that he wasn't watching the sleepy student carefully enough, and had ended up doing it wrong. After correcting it, he began to ask Oshitari for more words in sign language.

The two of them had so much fun that they lost track of the time, until they realized that it was past ten. It was then where Oshitari asked if he wanted to live with him. It came to him so fast that he didn't know how to react. Even though that Oshitari seem trustworthy, he was still nervous about it because Kurotori seemed trustworthy, and he turned out not to be.

Oshitari told him that he never thought of sex much, but it still didn't convince. Somehow, one statement changed his mind. "You're my best friend. And friends respect each other."

After hearing this statement, Mukahi was so eager to get away. Still, that didn't mean that it was going to be easy. He first had to notify the school that he wasn't going to live in the dorms anymore. After that, he had to pack his things, but Kurotori was being overprotective and actually tried to unpack his things. Finally, the redhead had to resort to packing in small quantities and taking it over to Oshitari's apartment when Kurotori wasn't around.

Despite all the pity Kurotori gave him, including stop raping him, Mukahi gave him no pity and kept on packing until all of his things were over at Oshitari's apartment. Let him drown his sorrows in alcohol! He wouldn't care. People like him don't deserve any pity, unless they can change, and Kurotori will never change.

-X-

"So, like this?" Mukahi asked while trying his best to do every sign right. Sign language can be so hard…

Oshitari nodded as he finished the sushi roll in his bento. Then he made an unknown sign.

"Eh?"

"Fun," he mouthed.

"'Fun'? This is fun?" Mukahi guessed. "Yeah it is."

"What's fun?" a voice piped up. Startled, Mukahi turned around to see Jirou with a tray of food.

"Jirou!" Mukahi said in surprise.

Turning to Oshitari, Jirou said and signed, "You never told me you two were friends." Oshitari nodded and then started signing. "You're living together? Really? Wow! Hey…" Jirou stopped talking and made some signs that Mukahi didn't know, but could guess what they were when the grinning student put his thumb and pinky together (Note: In Japan, sticking your thumb up means you're talking about someone's boyfriend, and sticking your pinky up means you're talking about someone's girlfriend, so putting them together would mean 'couple').

"Of course not!" the redhead retorted blushing slightly.

"Just kidding, Mukahi-kun!" Jirou beamed innocently as he ate the rice on his tray. "So, I hear you're learning sign language. How come?"

The redhead didn't stop frowning and said flatly, "Because I'm interested."

"Really? I never took you as the type of learning something on your own."

Oshitari, who had remained out of the conversation until then, tapped Jirou on the shoulder and started signing fast. This time, though, he looked concerned, as if there was something wrong. Mukahi easily recognized one sign.

"He seems okay."

Oshitari shook his head and pointed to the sleepy student's lower jaw. It was then Mukahi noticed that there was a nasty bruise beneath Jirou's lower jaw, as if he was choked. There was no doubt about it. He was abused.

"Who did that to you, Jirou?" Mukahi asked.

The student took one look at his bruise and said, "Oh, I just bumped into something last night." Oshitari waved his hand in front of his face and started signing rapidly with a serious face. "No! I'm serious! I bumped into something!"

"You don't get a bruise on your lower jaw from bumping into something!" Mukahi snapped.

"I-"

"Jirou! Let's go!"

Jirou looked so relieved to see Atobe that his breathed a sigh of relief. "I gotta go! Ja ne!" With that, he grabbed his tray and ran off to join his boyfriend.

_Well that was weird…_

-X-

"Oi, Yuushi!" Mukahi said tapping the silent tensai on the shoulder as he studied his textbook. "Is Jirou normally like this?" He shook his head. "No wonder he seemed out of it today. Do you think someone choked him last night for his wallet?"

Pulling out a notepad and pen, Oshitari wrote, "Gakuto, who is Jirou's roommate?"

"Jirou doesn't live in the dorms anymore," the redhead explained. "According to his roommate, he moved in with Atobe a month after they started dating. Why?"

"Because I think Atobe did that to him."

"Eh?"

"I've noticed that Atobe seems to be staring at a chemistry major more often." _Wait, that can't be Shishido Ryou!_ "His eyes show that he seems to be lusting after him. I assume that Jirou also noticed and might have asked impulsively causing Atobe to get angry."

Mukahi's mind was jumbling as he read the whole explanation. How could have Oshitari figured that out when he couldn't hear a thing? He knew more than ever that around this school, rumors travel fast. He had heard about someone liking Shishido, but he always heard that it was an art major, not Atobe.

"So you're saying that Atobe's taking a liking to Shishido Ryou, and Jirou's taking that to heart? That's kind of rough. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if that were true." Oshitari quirked an eyebrow. "Atobe likes to go through dates a lot, particularly among males. He dates them, has his way with them, and then drops them. If you ask me, I always thought that Jirou would be the one that would last since Atobe normally ends relationships within a week, but I guess not."

_That's cruel, especially for Jirou…_

-X-

The next day went by so fast that Mukahi didn't realize until Oshitari left for work that he'd be alone for several hours. He decided to finish his homework and study for the upcoming test. That soon became boring as the diagrams of cancer were etched into his memory, so the redhead locked up the apartment and left to take a walk.

Mukahi shivered as a cold draft breezed past him. It was freezing outside despite the fact that it was spring. He never got used to the cold. As he left the building, he saw Oshitari come through the front gate.

"Yuushi, you're early," Mukahi said.

Oshitari pulled out a notepad and pen and wrote, "The restaurant closed early, so I got off early."

"Oh, I was going to take a walk since I was ready for next week's test," Mukahi explained clutching his jacket as another gust of wind blew. "Geez, it's so breezy."

The silent tensai tapped Mukahi on the shoulder and wrote, "I want to take you somewhere."

_Go somewhere? What is he talking about… a date?_

A second note said, "Just to the empty dock."

"Um… okay," Mukahi replied still unsure about all this.

-X-

The two of them walked towards the empty dock silently. Mukahi couldn't help that this was so familiar despite that he'd only been down this path once. Shaking it off as something that he probably passed by a while ago, he continued walking alongside Oshitari.

They came across an empty playground. It was an average playground consisting of tubes, slides, a sandbox, and monkey bars. It was then when Mukahi could have sworn that he almost saw two junior high kids sitting down on the stairs that led up to the slide. He seemed to be hallucinating because it seemed as though the two kids were ghost. They seem to be talking to each other.

_Am I imagining things?_

Mukahi shook his head and continued walking. The two continued to walk to the empty dock passing by an empty curb. Once again, the redhead could have sworn that he saw the same two kids from the playground, except this time, one was bleeding and the other one was trying to help.

_Why does this feel familiar?_

Oshitari and Mukahi finally reached the dock. Upon the sight in front of him, Mukahi gasped. From the dock, he could see one of the most beautiful sunsets in Tokyo. Despite all the pollution in the air, the sunset had a beautiful blend of colors that seemed to be taken directly from a picture book.

Mukahi tapped Oshitari on the shoulder and said, "It's beautiful."

The silent tensai nodded in agreement. He then wrote on his notepad, "It brings back a lot of memories."

_Memories?_

Then a thought occurred to him. Could something have happened here?

Once again, he could have sworn that he saw those two kids again. This time, both were running right to the edge. One jumped in followed by the other.

_Wait, they look familiar…_

He saw the two ghost-like kids burst out of the water and back onto the dock. Mukahi thought that those two were only having fun, but instead, one was unconscious and bleeding at the head, and the other was worriedly shaking the other trying to get him awake. It was then Mukahi saw the faces.

_Is that me, and…_

Suddenly, as if a typhoon hit him, the cavity in his memories was suddenly filled up with memories of his middle school life, but most importantly, the memories of the boy he fell in love with on the way. Gripping his head, he saw everything that had happened: meeting on the curb, giving the name "Houshi", their first few dates, and then…

_He didn't…_

A hand shook his shoulder snapping him out of his new memories.

"Are you okay?" Oshitari signed.

_That face…_

"Tsuki?"

**TBC…**

**How was it? Review kudasai!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8. Enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: Not mine**

**WARNING: AU, OOC, shounen-ai**

**PAIRING: Oshitari/Mukahi**

**Chapter 8- Space**

"Are you okay?" Oshitari signed.

When Mukahi had grabbed his head, the silent tensai began to worry if he had a headache or something worse. Headaches were common now in days among college students, but why here when they had no studying to do? Oshitari went over everything that he knew about Mukahi trying to find the solution to the problem.

"Tsuki?" Mukahi said.

The word had triggered something in his mind. He had given his name as Tsuki before, but that was in junior high, and to only one person. Wait, no, it couldn't be…

_Houshi?_

"Are you Tsuki?" Mukahi asked in a quiet voice.

_Are you Houshi?_

The pieces slowly became together as Oshitari realized Mukahi as his first love, but…

_Could it be, that Houshi survived the…_

"Are you, Yuushi?" Mukahi demanded grabbing his shirt. "Are you Tsuki? I need to know!"

Oshitari nodded his head. He couldn't lie to the redhead no matter how horrible the past was. Instantly, Mukahi shoved him to the ground.

"Why did you do that?" he demanded. "I can't believe you did that to me! I was in love you, you idiot, and you went and slept with someone else!" Oshitari tried to stop Mukahi, but the redhead kept going. "And now you're saying that you care, that you respect me! I don't believe you!"

_Gakuto, no-_

Oshitari grabbed Mukahi by the arm and tried his best to say that what he saw wasn't true, but once again, it came out as a croak. He tried and tried, but in the end, Mukahi still didn't believe.

_Gakuto, please, you've got it all wrong! I do care!_

Finally, the redhead slapped him across the face with his free arm. "Let go, **Oshitari**," Mukahi said with an icy glare. "I can't trust you anymore than I could after you did that." With that, the redhead turned and left Oshitari on the empty dock on the verge of tears.

_Why?_

-X-

Oshitari didn't go back to his apartment knowing that Mukahi wouldn't speak to him anyway. He stayed on the empty dock staring at the sky as the sun left and the moon began to rise. The silent tensai noticed with a little amusement that the moon was by itself tonight. There were no stars in the sky, not even its special one.

_I guess even the moon has arguments with its star, but does it always come back?_

An image of a certain redhead popped into his head. Oshitari stared at the wooden planks beneath him. He truly did care for Mukahi, but he wouldn't force him to like him, like how Kurotori did.

_If only he didn't do that to me…_

-X-

"Stay away from me, Oshitari, I don't want to hear it."

Oshitari felt like curling up and crying somewhere. He had tried several times to make up with Mukahi, but it only ended in cold shoulders or an icy order to stay away or else. It was already a week he was beginning to give up in ever making up with the redhead. It didn't help with the fact that Mukahi moved all of his things out and was now searching for an apartment. In the meantime, he was living in the dorms. To think that they were getting along fine until Mukahi remembered everything about them.

_What hurts the most is that… it wasn't what it seemed._

Oshitari felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up to see Jirou leaning over where he was sitting. "Are you okay?" the sleepy student asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he signed.

"You don't look fine, you look like someone just died."

Oshitari exhaled slowly and scooted over to let Jirou sit next to him. "Gakuto can't trust me anymore."

"Eh? Why not? I thought you two were best friends. Not to mention that you're living together. What happened?" Jirou asked.

The silent tensai hesitated to tell Jirou because it was a personal thing, but he couldn't tell anyone else, and he wanted to tell someone his problems at least even though it seemed rude. So, he told Jirou everything that happened last week. The sleepy student watched silently and understanding not saying or signing anything.

"Haven't you tried making up with him?" Jirou asked.

Oshitari gave him a nod. "He still won't believe me. I'm starting to give up-"

"No." The silent tensai stared at the sleepy student. "Don't give up, Oshitari. Look, I've known you for a long time and I know that you really do love Mukahi. If he doesn't love you back, that's fine, but you should at least tell him."

Jirou… 

"Have you told the person you love your feelings?" he signed.

"Yes, but he didn't take them seriously. This is why I'm telling you, Oshitari. Mukahi, I believe, does seem to like you even after that incident. In my opinion, one truly loves another for their heart, not their body."

-X-

Oshitari closed the door to his empty apartment and dropped his bag on a nearby table. It had been a week since Mukahi remembered everything and he still couldn't get over it. He wanted to take Jirou's advice, but Mukahi would probably be even more mad at him. After all, that's what Kurotori did to try get the redhead to stay rooming with him.

The silent tensai tried his hardest to study for the upcoming test, but it was hard to concentrate. Mukahi kept occupying his mind whether completely or only in the back of his mind. Normally, one would say that it was an excuse, but this time, it was truth, and he couldn't deny it no matter how much he wanted to bring Mukahi back. Finally, he gave up and plopped down on his bed.

_I've read a lot of romance novels before, but my own romance story turned out to be different than all of them. I guess no romance story is ever the same…_

It was then, an idea sprung in Oshitari's head. This had happened many times before when he was in junior high and high school before his father suppressed his dreams of becoming a romance novelist. After he got away from Osaka, he had writer's block, so he eventually gave up in ever writing a novel at all. After all this time, it was coming back.

Oshitari ran to his desk and flipped his laptop open. Opening a new document on his desktop, he began typing rapidly all the emotions of experiencing first love, and hanging onto it.

-X-

Despite his depression over Mukahi ignoring him, Oshitari was so excited of finally breaking his writer's block. For two hours, he did nothing but type up a storm. If he couldn't vent out his emotions on someone, then he will in a story, something that he did a long time ago. He decided to make the romance straight since not many people in the community appreciated gay stories. The characters were Satomi and Ruiko, two childhood friends who gave anonymous names. It was his story, only with some things arranged, so it was fictional in a way.

When he had slowed down and stopped typing, he was still too excited to fall asleep, but in the end, sleep and Oshitari found each other with him thinking about something that he had lost before.

-X-

"You seem better today, Oshitari," Jirou said. "Did you make up with Mukahi?"

"No, but I seem to have gotten over my writer's block," he signed.

"Really? That's great! So, what kind of sap are you writing now?" Jirou asked with a grin.

"Secret," was all Oshitari signed with a smirk.

"Mou, you're mean!"

-X-

Oshitari watched carefully as the professor explained more about ear diseases. He was suppose to study this last night, but the professors knew that he was deaf and mute, so they didn't pay any mind in asking him a question.

Despite the exciting discovery he made, the depression about Mukahi moving out and not talking to him was starting to take its toll. He didn't recall eating anything yesterday, and possibly, the day before. He felt tired, but he forced to keep his eyes open as he took notes. Slowly, the pencil slipped from his fingers. He put his head on the table and closed his eyes.

-X-

He woke up later in the infirmary with a wet cloth on his forehead. How he got there and how long he was there, he had no idea. All he could recall was that he fell asleep in class. When he woke up, he saw Jirou.

"Hey, how do you feel?" he asked.

"'How do I feel'?" Oshitari signed confused.

"Well, when you fell asleep in class, the professor didn't notice at first until about halfway through the class. He would have shouted to wake you up, but seeing as you can't hear, we tried shaking you awake, but we couldn't. Taki even tried pouring cold water on you. In the end, we thought that maybe you were sick or something, so we brought you to the infirmary," Jirou explained.

_Oh, so that's why I'm here._ "How long have I been out?"

"A few hours. Hang on, I'll alert the nurse."

As Jirou got up, Oshitari noticed that Jirou had another bruise. This time, he could tell that the sleepy student had been choked because the bruise was in the form of a handprint. Not only that, but the fresh smell of expensive cologne was in the air. Oshitari could only think of one person who would be able to afford that.

_Atobe…_

"Good news! You can get out of here within a few minutes!" Jirou said walking back with a cheerful grin.

"Jirou, why are you still with Atobe even after all that he's done to you?" Oshitari signed suddenly. "Don't lie."

The sleepy student suddenly lost his cheerfulness and started to see his shoes more interesting. "Because I love him. I don't want to lose him."

"No, you don't love him. If you did, you would tell him to stop choking you and talk it over."

"How would you know?" Jirou said now starting to get angry.

"What do you think I've been trying to do with Gakuto for the last week?"

-X-

Oshitari was released from the infirmary a few minutes later. He left campus on his own since Jirou said that he had to see Atobe or something will happen. That boy shouldn't hang around him too much. It wasn't healthy both physically and emotionally.

The silent tensai approached his apartment and opened the door checking the mailbox on the way. There were some letters for bills, another letter from school, and one envelope that he never saw before. Putting down the other envelopes, Oshitari opened the single envelope and pulled out the few sheets of paper folded inside. The papers were photocopies of something judging from the black eyes. Oshitari recognized the handwriting instantly.

_Dad…_

His hands started shaking as he read what the papers were. They were scans of a form for a special program for the deaf and mute in Nagasaki. It included surgery and then speech therapy for several months.

Dark eyes widened. His father was actually doing this for him? After all he did including running away? It didn't make sense. Still, he could feel excitement swell up within him. He could finally regain his hearing and be able to hear what everyone sounded like! Oshitari was actually excited to go.

Then he remembered that it was in Nagasaki. Not only was he going to miss several months of school, but he was also going to miss Mukahi, whether the redhead ever forgave him or not.

"_Stay away from me, Oshitari, I don't want to hear it."_

Oshitari had to choose now whether he should take the program or not. He truly did want to go, but he didn't want to leave Mukahi on a bad note. His eyes narrowed in determination.

_I'll go, but not until I talk to Gakuto._

**TBC…**

**How was it? In a few days, I'm going to be getting my ears pierced, so that means I'm going to be in a lot of pain. Review kudasai!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9. Whew, this is fun to write! I'm currently working on the sequel, but school's kind of a problem now, so updates might be slow. Enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: Not mine**

**WARNING: AU, OOC, shounen-ai**

**PAIRING: Oshitari/Mukahi**

**Chapter 9- Moonlight**

"Stay away from me, Oshitari, I don't want to hear it," Mukahi said coldly before leaving the silent tensai behind. The redhead was sure that if Oshitari didn't stop trying to talk to him, he would punch him hard in the face.

_He deserves it, especially for what he did to me._

In classes, he sat as far away from Oshitari as he could, and at lunch, he ate alone, which seemed to have also applied to Oshitari. The silent tensai would eat at a table alone without anyone near him with a downcast look. Mukahi also noticed that Oshitari was back to eating those horrible school lunches, and he almost felt guilty for not making him lunch, but he shook it off and continued on with life.

Mukahi couldn't understand why Oshitari would be upset when he was the one that hurt him. He was acting like Kurotori during the two weeks that he moved into the apartment, except that he couldn't speak, but the desperation in his eyes were telling him that he was begging.

"Hey, Mukahi." The said redhead turned to see Jirou standing next to where he was sitting.

"Oh, Jirou," Mukahi replied.

"Did something happen between you and Oshitari?" Jirou asked with a grim look on his normally cheerful or sleepy face.

Mukahi glared at Jirou. "Why?"

"Because Oshitari's been moping for a week now, and as his friend, I want to help him," Jirou replied.

"Don't bother trying to help him, he isn't worth it," the redhead spat.

"What? Why?"

"Because he cheated on him in junior high when he knew that I was in love with him," Mukahi growled staring at the ground. "Nobody like that is worth pitying."

Jirou suddenly gave Mukahi a hard slap across the face. The redhead winced at the sudden pain in his face. "What was that for you idiot?"

"Oshitari didn't cheat on you," Jirou said with a firm tone. "How can you say that when he practically lost almost everything in one night?"

_What?_

"He told me that on the night he lost his hearing, a guy had knocked him out and raped him in his dorm. His boyfriend took it the wrong way and committed suicide by jumping in the harbor knowing that he couldn't swim. Oshitari had managed to get him, but the boyfriend was dead. His rapist, who had followed him, threw him in the middle of the street where a car hit him. His eardrums were badly damaged and beyond repaired and poor Oshitari was torn up for days because of his boyfriend's death. I knew that you were his "Houshi" right away, but I decided not to say anything since I wanted you two to start over. Oshitari was happy with you, and still is, so don't you dare say that he's not worth it!"

Mukahi remained silent as he began processing the loads of information that were just thrown at him. _He… was raped? So, he wasn't cheating on me? I can't believe it! I bailed out on him when he needed me the most! I'm such an idiot!_

"Jirou, I don't know how I'm going to make up with him," Mukahi said quietly. "I mean, what if he doesn't like me anymore because I was being a jerk? If he does, I guess I deserve it-"

"Mukahi," Jirou interrupted, "From what I hear, you love someone even when they hate your guts. You're lucky, Mukahi. You at least have someone who loves you for who you are."

"Jirou…"

"I've known about Atobe's infatuation with Shishido for a while, but I didn't say anything about it and kept being with him. Then one night, things got too far. I got into an argument with him, and…" Jirou broke down and the tears began to flow.

"Did he… hit you?" the redhead asked in a quiet voice. A small nod was what followed. "Jirou, now that's someone who's not worth any pity, you hear? Trust me, I know."

"I know, but…"

Mukahi put an arm around Jirou's shoulders and just waited as the sleepy student weeped on his shoulder. He would help him get through, but for now, he had to fix his own issues first.

-X-

Oshitari dropped the form off at the post office and left. He would be leaving at the end of the week. It was going to be hard leaving Tokyo, especially since he still hadn't made up with Mukahi yet. He wanted to keep trying, but he was starting to give up. The redhead had been acting so coldly around him and avoided him as much as possible. The silent tensai looked up at the sky.

_Houshi… Gakuto…_

Stopping at his apartment building, Oshitari silently marched up the stairs and to his apartment where he tried his best to study the diagrams in his textbook, but failed to concentrate as well as he normally did, so he tried to take a nap, but that didn't work out either. In the end, he was on his laptop typing more of his story.

_I'll track him down tomorrow._

-X-

Mukahi once again sat alone in the cafeteria during lunch trying to comprehend everything that he had learned. It was hard to believe that after thinking that he was cheated on, he wasn't, and the person who had thought didn't love him, loved him more than anything in the world. Within a week, things had started to spiral out of control.

Spotting Oshitari at another table across the cafeteria, Mukahi picked up his bento box and headed over. He had to fix things before Oshitari did move on.

Tapping the silent tensai on the shoulder, Mukahi said, "Hey." Oshitari was surprised by the redhead's appearance and the fact that Mukahi was giving him a sushi roll. "Take it. I don't want it." The silent tensai hesitated for a moment before taking the roll and popping it into his mouth. Mukahi gave a small smile as he dropped his bag on the bench. "Look, I found out what really happened. You didn't cheat on me, did you?"

The silent tensai shook his head and wrote on a notepad, "Jirou must have told you, right?"

"Yeah, he asked me why I was avoiding you, so I told him, and he spilled everything. Sorry if it's too much, but do you know who raped you?"

Oshitari suddenly found his food tray interesting. Mukahi started to think that maybe he wasn't willing to tell, but then Oshitari made two signs.

"Huh? Sorry, you never showed me those," Mukahi said. Oshitari started finger spelling slowly enough for the redhead to read. "Ku… ro… to…" Then the name flashed in his head. "No way…"

Oshitari nodded. "Kurotori." Then he wrote, "That's why I was angry when I found out that he was raping you."

Mukahi took a deep breath and said, "We both have been used, huh?" Then a thought popped in his head. "How come you never told me I was Houshi?"

Oshitari wrote slowly, "After I thought you died, I decided to try forget about you. It was painful because it felt like I was throwing you away, but I knew that if I didn't, I'd be wallowing in misery forever. I never forgot about you completely; I just forgot your real name and your face. My father must have wanted me to forget about you as well because he moved all my junior high yearbooks and pictures somewhere where I couldn't find them. I guess he never enjoyed his son being gay."

"In high school, I used to have dreams that were actual memories of us, but I could never see our faces or hear us call each other by our real names."

"That's weird, I can recall that we only called each other by our pet names when we were teasing each other," Mukahi said placing his elbow on the table. "I guess it came from the results of you trying to forget."

"Probably, after a while they started to go away, but recently, they started coming up again. I guess it was fate."

Then he wrote, "Will you meet me at the empty dock?"

"Why?"

"I have to talk to you about something."

-X-

Oshitari continued typing at a fast pace on his laptop. There were so many thoughts to put in and so little time. He had notified the school about his decision and agreed to continue classes next term. He left his father a message saying that he will take the rehab. All was left was to break the news to Mukahi. It wasn't going to be easy now because of the fact that Mukahi knew the truth, but he couldn't leave without telling.

He checked his watch and noticed that he should head over to the empty dock. _I have to tell him now._ Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he locked up his apartment and left.

-X-

Mukahi checked his watch noting that it was close to his meeting time with Oshitari. Locking up the dorm, he left for the empty dock. _I wonder what he has to say…_

-X-

The two met at the dock on time. Both of them were feeling anxious at the thoughts of what the response would be from the other. Oshitari gripped onto his notepad as he saw the redhead in the distance. It was going to be hard, but he had to try.

"So Yuushi, what do you have to tell me?" Mukahi asked.

The silent tensai slowly wrote what he had to say his hand shaking and showed it to Mukahi. "I'm leaving for Nagasaki at the end of the week."

The redhead read the note his blue eyes widening. Yuushi… was going away? A million questions started popping in Mukahi's head, but all he could say was what summed up all of them, "Why?"

Oshitari put away the notepad and made two signs. "I'm going to be a normal person."

"What do you mean?" the redhead asked still confused. The silent tensai put his hands to his ears and shook his head. The answer came rushing at Mukahi like a gust of wind. "You mean that you're going to Nagasaki to regain your hearing? Is that even possible? Wait, you said "normal person". So that means that you're also going to regain your voice too?"

Oshitari nodded.

"How long will you be gone?" Mukahi asked knowing that maybe he'll finally get to see Oshitari again as he was in junior high.

"Several months," the silent tensai fingerspelled slowly. The redhead kept that in mind. He'll keep track of the days until Oshitari came back. Then a question popped up.

"How did you get the money for this? I mean, don't those rehabs cost a fortune?" Oshitari stuck up a thumb. "Your father? How come? I thought your father hated you."

Pulling out his notepad, Oshitari wrote, "I called him yesterday. He said that my mother was planning on sending me the request, but she died before she could, so he delivered it."

"I see…"

There was a long silent as the two stared at each other. It was hard on both of them, but somehow, the end seemed like it was going to be good. Suddenly, Oshitari spotted something in the sky. He tapped Mukahi on the shoulder and pointed. That was when the redhead saw it for the first time.

It was a crescent moon radiating light on the empty dock, and next to it was a single star. This time, there were no other stars in the sky, just the moon and one star next to it.

Mukahi smiled as he saw the sight. "Didn't we use to call each other "Tsuki" and "Houshi"?" Oshitari nodded. "Anou, what's "Tsuki" and "Houshi"?" Oshitari performed the signs, and this time, Mukahi got them on his first try.

-X-

The rest of the week passed by so quickly that it was the end of the week before they knew it. During that time, they spent a lot of time together to make up for the week they were fighting. Mukahi continued to learn sign language and moved back into the apartment while Oshitari got good lunches ever lunchtime. Those times were good, but time flies quickly when you're having fun.

The ride to the airport was silent. Mukahi promised to accompany Oshitari to the airport, but it was going to be hard once he got on the plane. The same went for Oshitari who wasn't going to looking forward to imagining how Mukahi will feel about having the apartment alone.

As they got past the gates, Mukahi said, "Yuushi, before you go, can you try say something?" Oshitari made a sign. "No, not in sign language. I mean talking. Can you try say something with your mouth?"

Oshitari was shocked by the request, but he nodded his head and started thinking of what to say. He wanted to try only saying one word, but in the end, he said a whole sentence that summarized everything that he wanted to express.

"Omae wa… ore no… tokusei… houshi da." _You are my special star._

That was the first time Mukahi heard Oshitari speak since junior high. He wasn't one for sap, but this sappy quote had touched his heart. It was Yuushi's way of saying, "I love you."

_Yuushi, omae wa ore no tsuki da. You are my moon._ **Owari**

**Don't stop reading! There's still the epilogue!**


	10. Epilogue

**Whew! Epilogue! Man, I'm glad that this is over. I'm cranking out the Silver Pair sequel, so stick around, everyone!**

**DISCLAIMER: Not mine**

**WARNING: AU, little OOC, shounen-ai**

**PAIRING: Oshitari/Mukahi**

**Epilogue- Tsuki to Houshi**

"Oi Mukahi! Hurry up and finish shelving those books!" a short brunette yelled from across the store.

"I know already!" the redhead yelled back before carrying the heavy box over to the correct bookshelf. "Why don't you start putting in some more books?"

"Are you kidding? I've got at least fifty more catalogs to fill out!"

Mukahi growled as the brunette went back to work. After Oshitari left, Mukahi had the apartment to himself, but he knew that he couldn't work off the bills without a job, so he got one at a bookstore. The pay was okay, but Oshitari's job at a restaurant paid more. It was a good thing for Mukahi since he got discounts when he bought books for college.

He and Oshitari kept in contact through letters since Mukahi didn't have a computer and Oshitari couldn't get near a phone for a while. The letters were nice to read, but Mukahi ended up writing saying that Oshitari shouldn't be so sappy when he writes. In the letters, Oshitari described how the rehab was and what kind of people were there. He seemed to be doing fine and Mukahi was looking forward to hear what Oshitari sounded like.

_"Omae wa… ore no… tokusei… houshi da."_

The voice that Oshitari used when he told the redhead how he felt was a low, hoarse voice. What Mukahi imagined to be Oshitari's voice was a low, drawling voice with a Kansai dialect inserted. Mukahi couldn't remember how Oshitari sounded in junior high, but it didn't seem to matter to him because he was looking forward to seeing the silent tensai so much that he kept a calendar to keep track of the days until Oshitari came back.

"Oi, Mukahi!" the brunette called. "Can you put those new novels in the romance section?"

_Romance? Gross…_

"Fine," the redhead replied grumpily.

Grabbing the set of books out of the box, he carried them over to his worst section in the bookstore and began putting them on the shelf. He was putting the last of the copies on the shelf, when the title of the novel caught his eye.

On the spine, in fluid handwriting, were the words _Tsuki to Houshi_, and the author's name was simply written as _Oshitari Yuushi_.

-X-

Oshitari could almost smile when he heard a woman and her child walking and talking together. It was good to hear again. He managed to go through the rehab fine. The speech therapy was a little harder than he expected, but he pulled through eventually. His hearing wasn't perfect, but he was no longer 100 percent deaf either.

The silent tensai reread Gakuto's last letter. It said that he couldn't wait for him to come back and everyone was doing fine, except for Jirou. Oshitari almost broke down when he heard what happened to his friend. Atobe had broken up with Jirou, but was still coming over for one-night stands even though he had Shishido. Jirou had put up with it for a while, until he got fed up and decided to take that study abroad offer he got.

_Jirou… Gakuto always thought that you were the one to change Atobe. I guess not…_

-X-

Mukahi couldn't help but keep staring at the book. He had snuck it out of the shop and left the money in the cash register because he was interested. Yuushi had written a book while he was in rehab? It was a romance novel, but a book nonetheless.

On the cover was a picture, probably a photograph, of a boy and a girl in their college years. Below the faces were shadowy figures of a boy and girl around junior high sitting on playground equipment. Above the faces was a picture of a crescent moon next to a single star in the star. It was quite a sight and perfect for a romance novel.

Turning to the back of the book, Mukahi read the summary. It was about Satomi and Ruiko, two childhood friends who gave anonymous names. The plotline seemed to be about his… no, their lives together. The story was straight, though, but Oshitari probably knew that gay romance wasn't that popular now in days, so Mukahi didn't say anything about that.

_But, wasn't he studying to be a doctor?_

Mukahi unlocked the apartment and opened it, only to be left standing in shock with a surprise.

Yuushi was standing at the kitchen making dinner. The silent tensai turned and said in a low drawling voice with a Kansai accent, "Hi, Gakuto."

Gakuto dropped the book in shock. Why was Yuushi back already? Checking the calendar hanging nearby, he noticed that today was October 15, the day that Yuushi came back.

He hadn't notice the tensai come over to pick up the book. "Gakuto, I didn't know that you enjoyed romance," he said with a grin.

The redhead snapped out of his shock and glared at Yuushi. "I was only curious," he muttered. Upon hearing Gakuto's embarrassed comment, Yuushi couldn't help but laugh. It was good to hear again.

**Owari.**

**Whew! I'm finally done! I hope you all enjoyed this fic! I'm currently planning out a sequel to this staring Ootori and Shishido! By the way, for all you Tenimyu fans, take a closer look at the characters' names in Oshitari's novel. Ring a bell? Until then, ja ne! Oh yeah, here's a preview of the sequel to _Tsuki to Houshi_, _Gin no_ _Shunkan_.**

**Preview to _Gin no Shunkan_**

I know I'm going to die soon. I've known it for a while. That's why I go through life without regrets because I don't know when my life will end. My only dream is to paint something that will gain recognition. Who would have thought that I'd end up with the fear of dying?

My life seems similar to a slut's. I can't get him off my back no matter how much I try. I just want him to leave me alone and get someone else to screw. Who would have thought that I'd end up loving a dying person?


End file.
